Chemistry Expert - Remote Part-Time Position
Listing checked September 16, 2026 · pay as published by Mercor
Overview
Mercor connects AI research teams with chemists who can supply expert judgment for model training and evaluation. The listing is a standing pool rather than a single opening, so projects can start on short notice when a client needs chemistry expertise. Work may involve building synthesis or characterization problems, grading proposed routes and mechanisms, and catching plans that fail in practice because of side reactivity, workup losses, or reagent limits. Past rates for this kind of engagement have ranged from $65 to $105 per hour, set by project scope and depth. Chemists in the pool get invited to specific assignments that list the rate, hours, and client.
What You'll Do5
- 1Write original synthesis or characterization problems from your own lab work, including substrate, conditions, analytical data, and the reference answer used to grade a model.
- 2Review model-proposed synthetic routes and mechanisms for sensible disconnections, supported selectivity claims, and spectra that match assigned structures.
- 3Identify proposals that look plausible on paper but would fail at the bench due to side reactivity, workup losses, or reagent incompatibility.
- 4Explain your reasoning in clear written form so model outputs can be scored against your standards.
- 5Flag ambiguous instructions or missing context before completing an evaluation.
Requirements5
- 1Graduate degree in chemistry or a related field.
- 2Laboratory or computational research experience.
- 3Clear written communication, since most work involves explaining your reasoning.
- 4Comfort with ambiguous tasks and willingness to flag unclear instructions.
- 5Recent enough experience running reactions and interpreting data to explain the calls you made.
Who Should Apply
The best fit is a chemist with a graduate degree and recent bench or computational research experience, someone who can explain why a route, selectivity call, or spectral assignment holds up. You should be comfortable writing detailed rationales and working from incomplete prompts. The pool suits candidates who want project-based part-time work, not those seeking a fixed schedule or guaranteed full-time hours. Applications often score low when they list coursework without describing reactions they ran or data they interpreted themselves. Another common miss is a vague written answer that does not show the chemistry judgment behind a decision.
Salary Insight
Past projects have paid $65 to $105 per hour. The range depends on project scope and depth, so the upper end tends to match more complex evaluation or problem-writing work. No rate attaches to the pool listing itself; each client assignment names its own pay when it opens.
Pay and demand for Laboratory & Research Operations roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$80/hour
This role
$65–$105/hr
Most Laboratory & Research Operations roles pay $64–$88 per hour. This role's pay falls inside that range.
Based on 40 similar roles that publish pay · 6 publish only a top rate; those count at the rate they gave
Rates shown per hour. Yearly and monthly pay converted; one-time fees and non-USD pay are not included.
- Live similar roles
- 51
- Listed in last 30 days
- 26
- Remote
- 96%
Hiring most right now: micro1 (14) · Mercor (13) · Neon (8)
Most requested skills · share of roles
- chemistry25%
- technical writing24%
- scientific writing20%
- biochemistry18%
Figures from Laboratory & Research Operations roles live on NearSkill when this page loaded. A role can close before you apply, so check the listing itself.
Compare your resume against these rolesLocation
Compensation
$65–105/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
When you apply, include a short research summary that names a reaction or computational study you ran and the exact data you interpreted, such as an NMR assignment, a selectivity result, or a failed route you diagnosed. That concrete evidence helps reviewers see recent, hands-on chemistry judgment instead of a generic CV.
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